How to Make Partner Podcast

Do you ever wonder why partners seem hesitant about your progression despite your strong performance? Here's the truth: it's not about your technical ability or billable hours. It's about something partners call the "peace of mind test" - would they sleep soundly knowing you're handling their top client while they're on holiday, or would they wake at 3am in a cold sweat? This test reveals what's r...

Are you waiting until you make partner to start building your referral network? Do you struggle to get referrals from your contacts because they don't really understand what you do? If you're wondering when the right time is to start nurturing relationships that could send work your way, this episode will change how you think about networking. I share what I've learned about building a referral ne...

You can work 60-hour weeks, say yes to every request, and still get overlooked for promotion. Why? Because it’s not about pleasing everyone, it’s about building strong relationships with the right people. In this episode of the How to Make Partner Podcast , Heather Townsend explains why political savvy means going deep with 10–15 influential partners, not spreading yourself thin across 100 surface...

Do your client ‘account management’ calls feel more like taking orders than giving valuable advice?  In this episode, I explain how to change these conversations so you feel like a valued professional and trusted advisor not just another pair of hands. This problem often happens when we let the client dictate the entire relationship, slowly training them to see us as reactive order takers.  To cha...

Do you spend hours writing the perfect proposal, only to be ghosted by the prospect? In this episode, I explain why the problem isn't your proposal, but what you did before you ever started writing it. Too many of us treat a proposal like a sales brochure, but the sale should be made long before the document is sent. The proposal is just a confirmation of what has already been verbally agreed. I'l...

What do you do when a client pushes back on fees for out of scope work that they have asked for? In this episode, I show you how to handle that awkward conversation without damaging the relationship. Or getting into trouble with your partners for writing off or discounting the extra fee due. It's a deeply frustrating situation that most of us face at some point, and it often happens when we've bee...

Do you hate working with someone new? Knowing that it is going to take time to work out how to get the best of them? When you start working with someone new, do you just hope for the best? The most effective people managers don't leave working relationships to chance. They have a repeatable and structured approach to their very first conversation. That conversation? It's based on what my good frie...

Do you look at partners and wonder how they got such a brilliant senior associate who just 'gets it'? And how your life would be easier if you had that trusted and capable number 2? The secret is that great deputies aren't found, they are made. In this episode, I dismantle the myth of the perfect 'number two'. Your partners have developed and invested in their 'number two'. I explain that waiting...

Do you ever feel your work gets pushed to the bottom of your junior's list? Do you worry about being seen as 'demanding'? The problem often isn’t your team, it’s that in your desire to seem nice, your polite language is being translated as "non-urgent". This episode tackles the common frustration of having your work deprioritised. I share a simple but powerful communication tactic that turns a vag...

Do you secretly believe it’s just quicker and safer to do the work yourself? Are you worried about your junior blowing the budget and then having to redo it yourself? In this episode, I break down the three biggest fears that get in the way of effective delegation. Using real examples from a recent coaching call with senior lawyers, I explore the anxieties around deadlines, budgets, and the qualit...

Ever wondered how you get others in your firm to help you move your career forward? It’s about knowing who influences whom. The people with the most influence in your firm aren’t always the ones with the biggest titles. Sometimes it’s a senior partner. Sometimes it’s their long-standing PA. Sometimes it’s the colleague with deep social ties from a merger years ago. In this episode of the How to Ma...

Ever been described as a safe pair of hands? Or do your partners really rate you but never seem to want help you progress your career. The messages, i.e. the narrative, about you in your firm can make or break your career progression. The truth is, in professional services, it’s not just your results that matter. It’s the story people tell about you when you’re not in the room. That story, your na...

Have you ever had a key team member reassigned by a senior partner, leaving you in the lurch? It's a constant risk for anyone who manages assignments whether as a senior associate, director or even junior partner. It can leave you feeling powerless and scrambling to meet your deadlines. This episode is all about taking back control by building a resilient team that can withstand internal politics....

Do job interviews make you nervous? You’re not alone. These nerves? Normal. But they could be ruining your ability to land your next great role and opportunity. Many highly capable professionals in practice, accountants, lawyers, consultants, find themselves stumbling in interviews, even though they thrive in their day job. As a result stopping them from being at their best and demonstrating their...

Ever feel like you are walking on eggshells at work, trying not to say or do the wrong thing? Or wish that you could take a break from the exhausting office politics? In this episode, I am exploring how to navigate the inevitable politics within your firm. This is not about being 'political' which can be a polite term for someone who lacks substance, but about becoming politically savvy to get thi...

How do you get work from your friends and close contacts without feeling pushy, desperate, or damaging the relationship? It’s a classic dilemma, particularly when your friends and former colleagues are in senior positions at your companies that you would like to have as a client. Indeed, it was the topic of a recent podcast episode here. In this episode, we are going to break down how actually to...

Do you ever feel like your networking is like "chucking jelly at a wall and hoping some of it will stick?". It’s a common feeling; you’re busy with coffees and events, but it’s not translating into meaningful work. In this episode, we're going to fix that. I'll share three practical strategies to turn your networking activity into a reliable, lead-generating machine. Listen to this episode to disc...

Do you want to become a recognised expert in your field? For clients and work to come to you based on your known expertise? In this episode, I'm sharing my personal playbook for building a powerful personal brand, one that makes clients seek you out. This doesn't happen by luck; it happens by design. I'll walk you through how it all comes down to two foundational principles: Consistency and Commit...

Do you want to build a large, engaged following on social media but don't know where to start? Have you ever wondered how some people manage to build a tribe that feeds them work for years? Building a profile and a following is a key part of winning your own clients and making a Business Case for partnership. You can’t just be a great technician anymore, you need to be known for what you do.  In t...

Is your diary packed with networking coffees, lunches, and events? But when you look at your pipeline, does the effort you’re putting in match the work you’re getting out? It’s a common trap. You're told to build a network, so you get out there, but soon find yourself going through the motions without a clear purpose. If you feel like you're "chucking jelly at a wall, hoping some of it will stick"...

Does your week ever feel like a game of Diary Jenga? Do you keep telling yourself you'll focus on business development "when things quiet down"? You carve out time, but then an urgent client request or a last minute partner demand comes in, and your good intentions remain just that, intentions. The reality for successful professionals is that the quiet time rarely arrives, and relying on it means...

Are you tired of being seen as just a "good technician"? Do you want to come out from your partners' shadows and build a reputation that makes you a destination for work? The days of making partner based on technical skill alone are gone. You are now expected to win your own clients. This requires a shift from being a passive consumer of information to an active creator of valuable content that bu...

Are you being told to use your personal networks to generate new business? But does the thought of asking friends from your social circle for work feel uncomfortable? You worry about being "annoying" or "pushy", and fear that mixing business with friendship could make the relationship strange. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. This is one of the most common hurdles on the path to partner....

Does the thought of posting on LinkedIn fill you with a sense of dread? Do you worry about how to avoid the “cringe” or that “icky feeling” of being too salesy? If you see business development on platforms like LinkedIn as a necessary evil, something that feels unnatural and uncomfortable, you are not alone. Many of the most talented professionals I work with feel exactly the same way. In this epi...

Do you ever hear advice about progressing your career – like owning your time, doing more business development, or thinking like a partner – and think, “Yes, but not right now...”? You might be dealing with your own “Too Hard Box”. The mental place where uncomfortable but important tasks get quietly parked. In this episode of the How to Make Partner podcast, we’ll explore how to recognise when fea...